


Green Ears

by ItFlare



Series: FE3H Hybrid AU [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cat Ears, Cat/Human Hybrids, Cuddling & Snuggling, First Meetings, Fluff, Hybrid Linhardt, Hybrids, Lin purrs, M/M, Studying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-13 12:04:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21243803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItFlare/pseuds/ItFlare
Summary: They’d met when they were young, both surprised and curious about the other. Linhardt had tilted his head, puzzled blue eyes widening at this new loud thing bounding its way across the courtyard. Caspar gasped, forgoing any formalities and shouted “Your ears!”





	Green Ears

**Author's Note:**

> Linhardt's special ability is catnap I couldn't help myself

Caspar has known Linhardt for a very long time.

So long, in fact, that he can scarcely remember a time before it. 

They’d met when they were young, both surprised and curious about the other. Linhardt had tilted his head, puzzled blue eyes widening at this new loud thing bounding its way across the courtyard. Caspar gasped, forgoing any formalities and shouted “Your ears!”

Said ears had tensed, folding back against silky green hair. Linhardt frowned with both eyebrows arching downward in disapproval.

“They’re so cool!”

Caspar had been warned that the Hevring household was different, that Count Hevring and his family were almost human but really not. They had additional features that humans shouldn’t. His father had told him that the family were like animals “ _ Cats of all things! _ ” and should be seen as lesser for it.

Caspar hadn’t understood but nodded along as children were supposed to. He knew not to challenge his father or ask too many questions, especially over things that angered him so. 

But in that moment Caspar couldn’t comprehend how anyone could be so disgusted by the thin soft looking ears now turned downward on both sides of the other boys head.

“...Cool?” Linhardt repeated, both uncertain and in disbelief.

“Yeah, wow! How’d you get those?”

Linhardt’s eyes dipped downward then off to the side as he thought. He closed the book in his lap drawing Caspars attention to the sharp claws on his fingertips.

“I have always had them.”

“Always?”

A nod. Linhardts shoulders dipped forward as he held his book in front of his chest.

“Yes.. I’m a hybrid.”

“..A hy-bread?”

Another frown. An inky green tail shifted anxiously in the grass. Caspar couldn’t take his eyes off it.

“No. A hybrid.”

“What's that?”

Linhardt hadn’t known what to say. None of this was strange to him and he didn’t even know this new boys name.

But he did know that sometimes people came to the estate that didn’t like them. They’d whisper awful things behind his family's back, forgetting that they were far more than capable of hearing them.

Or maybe they just didn’t care.

Linhardt swallowed, hoping Caspar wasn’t one of them.

“I’m a person, like you, just… different.”

Caspars brow furrowed. The stretch of silence that followed had Linharts claws sinking into the hardcover of his book.

“Different.. That's all?”

“Yes.”

“Oh.. Okay! Do you wanna play?”

Linhardts ears raised in surprise “Yes.. I would like that.”

Caspar had learned a lot that day. He’d learned that Linhardt and his family had cat ears and tails, that they all had claws where his blunt chewed nails were and that Linhardt was really good at climbing trees because of it. The other boy showed him his favorite branches to nap on as well as which to avoid. Linhardt was also good at reading and he didn’t like to play swords or hit things which was strange. He wasn’t bad, just different, and by the end of their extended visit Caspar still couldn’t figure out why his father didn’t like the Hevring family.

But over the years it's become apparent to him that there are people who don’t like hybrids and have no reason for it. Many call them “ _ Animals _ ” or “ _ abominations”,  _ his father included. They claim there is no place for a creature with the face of a man and the heart of a beast, as if they were animals parading around in the goddesses image. 

He learns that there are other hybrid noble families, but mostly of the canine variety. The Dukes pack are dog hybrids who boast of their impressive lineage and status. In the kingdom they have wild wolves heading two important houses that serve directly under the king. People say that canine hybrids are the most loyal, that they are the best choice. Coincidentally Linhardt’s father is undoubtedly good at his job.  _ Too  _ good, possibly. Caspars father hates him for it.

“ _ He’s too soft _ .” he says “ _ Too much of that feline blood in him.” _

For whatever reason, in the empire it is believed that feline hybrids are the worst of the lot. People think they’re fickle and mean beasts, flippant and unloving. Unsociable creatures who sleep all day and scheme late into the night. Thieves and philanderers who take advantage of those around them.

It's strange to hear those words used to describe Count Hevring. Slightly less so with Linhardt who naps during the day and studies what interests him (and  _ only  _ what interests him) during the night. The philandering part has Caspar scoffing, ready to raise his fists to whoever had the gall to claim such a thing. 

But unloving? 

_ Far _ from it.

A nudge to his shoulder pulls Caspar from his thoughts as the slightest pinprick of a claw reminds him to  _ Pay attention, Caspar.  _

Linhardt glares at him from his side of the bed before pointing back at the book laid open in front of them. The tactical map spanning across the pages is still as confusing as it had been when they started. They’re on their stomachs, covered by Linhardt’s thick comforter because Lin likes to be  _ warm _ and Caspars agreed to be his human water bottle for the day.

…And because this was the only way Caspar could get Linhardt to help him study. 

But, whatever.

A nudge against his hip reminds Caspar of another of Lin’s conditions. 

“Keep going.” Linhardt demands, wiggling back and forth until Caspars blunt nails drag along his spine. The hybrid shivers and lets out the smallest hint of a purr. His ears fall flat on both sides and Caspar feels the soft tip of Lins tail brush up against his calf.

Lin sighes, expression buttery and sweet before extracting an arm from beneath the comforter and moves to close the book.

“If you don’t get it by now you probably won’t.”

Caspar balks “But wait! I still don’t know how I’d get my last battalion over that mountain range in time.”

“You wouldn’t, Caspar. They’d freeze to death on the first night. It's a trick question.” 

“But how's that even-”

“It just is.” Linhardt gingerly places the book atop a pile of thicker tomes, pulling away once he’s sure nothing will topple over “Remind me to never recommend you for a captains position.” 

“Hey! I’d make a great captain!”

Linhardt scoots backwards to bury himself under the comforter. “You would, Caspar. But not yet and not when crossing a snowy mountain range.”

Caspar can live with that answer. He scoots over to make room for Linhardt’s longer frame to curl up between him and the wall before a delicate hand inevitably reaches out to pull Caspar closer to the middle of the bed. He raises his arms enough for Lin to comfortably pillow his head into his chest. The hybrid rubs his cheek against the familiar fabric of his best friends shirt and makes a low crooning sound that fills Caspars chest with a fuzzy kind of warmth he's slowly learning to associate with Linhardt and his impromptu need to rub his scent all over his clothing. It makes the other hybrids at the monastery give him weird looks. Ferdinand always feels the need to sniff the air and cock his head at it whenever Caspar walks by.

“Now remember, you have to nap with me for at least an hour for the next three days after we study.”

“Yep! That's the deal.”

Linhardt squeezes Caspars frame tighter after hearing the answer. His claws extend enough to lightly prick at Caspers skin just enough to make the shorter boy tense in his hold. He butts the top of his head against Caspars jaw, successfully cutting off any complaints. 

Caspar sighs, resigned to his fate of becoming a living pin cushion. They’ve always been like this. There's maybe not been as much  _ this  _ as there is now but this is nothing new to either of the boys. Neither is the inky green ear tickling the bottom of Caspars nose. He blows on it, making it twitch until Lin lets out a whine and pushes one of Caspars hands closer toward his head.  _ Pet me. _

The warmth in his chest grows. Careful fingers gently brush the dark green tresses away from Linhardts face then finally make it to the space between his ears. The hybrids body tenses at the first drag of Caspars nails against his scalp and slowly relaxes in a long sigh that seems to leave Linhardt boneless against his chest. The small pinpricks return to Caspars arm signaling that his friend had ascended to an even higher level of contentment. Linhardts kneading hurt a bit but Caspar never had the heart to stop him. What was a Bergliez boy without a few scrapes here and there?

When a subdued rumble finally reaches his ears, Caspar knows Linhardt is almost asleep. He feels the vibrations against his chest and diaphragm before hears the tell tail sounds of Linhardt’s purring. He’s not sure who else in the world has ever heard the sound but he hopes the number is very few. It might be Caspars favorite sound, has been for a very long time, as long as they’ve known each other probably. Which has been almost forever. 

He can’t really remember a time before Lindhardt.

He hopes more than anything that there will never be a time after.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> OhGod, my heart. I love them.
> 
> This all started because I wanted a snappy wolfy Felix but I couldn't get Linhardt out of my head.
> 
> Thanks for reading and feel free to to follow me deeper into this Fire Emblem hell scape on twitter @ItFlare. I post art from time to time and ramble about fic updates and Fire Emblem constantly


End file.
